October 22, 2011

Seven soups every Saturday: red lentil soup recipes

What's the difference between red lentils and brown ones? Color (obvious). Size (red lentils are smaller). Sweetness (yes, lentils can be sweet, and red ones are sweeter than brown). And, as fast as brown lentils cook, red ones cook even faster, which makes them perfect in soups. Red lentils might sound exotic, but they're easy to find in supermarkets, Indian groceries, and anywhere Bob's Red Mill products are sold. Some markets sell them in bulk bins; you can buy just as much as you need for a batch of soup. Red lentils don't need a presoak, so you can make lentil soup on the spur of the moment.

I recently made a red lentil soup with lemon almost exactly like the one from Sassy Radish. I used ancho chile powder instead of cayenne and ended up using more generous amounts of lemon juice and oilive oil to suit my taste. The ancho provided a depth of flavor and a slow building heat.

Last night's dinner was a Turkish red lentil soup with bulgur (on FOOD52), and I'm always looking for more. My first encounter was an Egyptian RL Soup in the Time Life Foods of the Middle East, which we all, even the then-young children, loved. This is a great list Lydia, so perfect for the nippy soup season now.